Media

[lulie]

What are the best movies, TV programmes, books (fiction and non-fiction), and songs/music, with philosophical content? (Or if they're just really good. But if they're really good, they should have philosophical content.) Examples: Iron Man, House, Atlas Shrugged, Conjectures & Refutations. List all the most awesome stuff you've found.

Comments

[konora]

I wouldn't say that Rorschach is an Objectivist/Randian or bad. Bad perhaps in the sense that he kills criminals, but that's one of the moral issues that the book brings up, and even then it makes no clear distinction of whether it's right or wrong. As I said, the morality is largely left up to the readers, so in that way it is nothing like Rand's work. There is no condemnation for Rorchach's actions except from the general public in the story, and they most certainly are portrayed in a negative way - they tend to be ungrateful, weak, and immoral. So in that way perhaps there is some parallel with Rand's writing.

Honestly, Watchmen reminds me a great deal of Rand's sort of philosophy, just told in a much different way. Whereas Rand had characters representing ideas, Watchmen seems to have characters who carry those ideas. I don't want to go too much into the details, but it is heavily implied from the perspective of various characters that the "superheroes" are the only truly moral people left - everyone else is weak, or immoral, or both. The superheroes are, largely, ordinary people with no special abilities beyond their drive for justice, and determination to deliver that justice. It seems a very Randian idea, to me.

But I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that all the characters are bad. Because they all have flaws, they're bad?

[lulie]

Ah, I imagine that a world that makes no clear distinction between right and wrong would bother me. I always hate it when it gets unclear whether a character we thought was good turns ungood or not (I don't know if you've seen the TV series Heroes, but that happens there a bit). I dunno, though, maybe I'd like Watchmen.

Well, I haven't read it at all, just going on what other people have said. Presumably because they all have bad flaws.

[konora]

I've watched Heroes through season 2, so I think I know what you mean. Watchmen may be a little iffy on that for you, but I still think it would be worth it to at least flip through the first couple of pages in a bookstore or library. But I will admit that it brings up very interesting moral questions, and in what I found was an enjoyable way. Moral ambiguousness might taint that for you though.

It depends highly on what flaws the reader considers bad, honestly. Rorschache's cold-bloodedness might be a bad flaw to someone, while someone else thinks it's a good thing. *shrug*

[lulie]

I might try the first few pages of Watchmen then, like you said. :)